In Search of the Holy Grail: The Quest for the Middle Ages

(Paperback)

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The middle ages, the age of Charlemagne, Chaucer and Dante, had an indelible effect on European culture. In Search of the Holy Grail: The Quest for the Middle Agesis a fascinating survey of the influence of the middle ages, and of medieval attitudes and values, on later periods and on the modern world. Many artistic, political and literary movements have drawn inspiration from and sought their roots in the thousand years between 500 and 1500 AD. Medieval Christianity, and its rich legacy, has been the essential background to European culture as a whole. Gothic architecture and chivalry were two keys to Romanticism, while nationalists, including the Nazis, looked back to the middle ages to find emerging signs of national character. In literature few myths have been as durable or popular as those of King Arthur, stretching from the Dark Ages to Hollywood. In Search of the Holy Grail: The Quest for the Middle Agesis a vivid account of how later ages learnt about and interpreted the middle ages. Veronica Ortenberg shows how medieval ideas and legacies surround us still in the twenty-first century.

Reviews

'In Search of the Holy Grail: The Quest for the Middle Ages is by far the most comprehensive survey of western culture's engagement with the Middle Ages.' 'Ortenberg's studdy is indeed unmatched...as a coherent narrative of the directions of medievalism from the sixteenth century to the present.' - Kathleen Verduin, The Medieval Review -- Kathleen Verduin

Author Bio

Veronica Ortenberg is a medieval historian who has taught at the universities of Durham, Lampeter and Oxford. She has published widely and is aFellow of the RoyalHistorical Society and a member of the Institute of Historical Research, London. She now works in Oxford.